List of All Articles with Tag 'so'

On a Silverstone weekend where the presence of Brad Pitt and the Apple Studios crew is the talk of the town, the as of yet untitled Formula 1 film’s executive producer – the sport’s very own A-lister – struggled at his spiritual home on Friday. Lewis Hamilton remains without a win in 19 months since Saudi Arabia in the penultimate round of the 2021 season. Last year, a thrilling British Grand Prix won by Carlos Sainz saw the eight-time winner come close, but the 38-year-old remains on an unprecedented winless streak. This weekend, despite Mercedes bringing an upgraded front-wing, the practice pace simply wasn’t there for Hamilton or his team-mate George Russell. In both sessions, both drivers finished outside the top-10. “It’s a tough car to drive,” stated a brutally honest and demoralised Hamilton. “On a single lap, I didn’t feel any improvement between tyres which shows something is wrong. So we’re missing something. It didn’t feel particularly great. “Me and George were just talking and we’re at different sides with the setup – we’ll try and do something tonight and hopefully we’ll come up with something for tomorrow.” As for the man on top, no surprises here. Max Verstappen was quickest in both practice sessions under the sprinkling Silverstone sun and will be eager to correct a British Grand Prix hoodoo: in eight races, the Dutchman is yet to stand on the top of the podium. He did, however, win the one-off 70th anniversary grand prix at Silverstone during the covid-impacted 2020 season. “Overall, it’s been a strong day again,” Verstappen said, not for the first or last time in 2023. “The car has been performing really well, pretty positive.” Instead of the regularity of Red Bull’s dominance, the main feel-good story on Friday was Williams’ surprise pace, predominantly from the rejuvenated Alex Albon. Slowly but surely creeping up the leaderboard under the leadership of former Mercedes strategist James Vowles, Williams had a day to remember while sporting a special livery to celebrate their upcoming 800th grand prix. Albon was third-fastest in both practice sessions, with American rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant joining him in the top-five in the afternoon. There is forecasted to be rain in the air in and around qualifying on Saturday, which could provide a smidgeon of unpredictability in what has been a predictable order of events in the past few months, with Red Bull’s and in particular Verstappen’s all-out domination. Instead, a record 480,00 crowd at Silverstone this weekend – up by 79,000 from 2022 – will find intrigue in the early production scenes of the highly-anticipated feature film, with Pitt the star attraction. The fictional ‘Apex’ team are filming scenes in and around the paddock and using impressively modified F2 cars on track with stunt drivers. There are even plans for scenes to be rapidly shot on the grid ahead of Sunday’s grand prix. Such is Verstappen’s supremacy, the pre-race shenanigans could represent the most entertainment on Sunday ahead of a British Grand Prix whose victor has never felt quite so inevitable. There is also, understandably, wariness of another Just Stop Oil protest this weekend, after their actions at Wimbledon this week and at various sporting events this summer, with F1 and Northamptonshire Police on high alert and making extra provisions to ensure all the action goes ahead without interruption. Read More Alex Albon provides closest threat to Red Bull in British Grand Prix practice What time is F1 qualifying tomorrow at the British Grand Prix? Formula One welcomes Brad Pitt but is wary of protesters at British Grand Prix What time is qualifying at the British Grand Prix on Saturday? Jackie Stewart suffers stroke and falls ‘unconscious’ in frightening health scare F1 British Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times from Silverstone

If you're looking to buy the Vision Pro as soon as possible, you'll have to

Lewis Hamilton finished only 15th in practice on a troubling day for the home favourite at the British Grand Prix. As a dominant Max Verstappen carried over his crushing form to a sizzling Silverstone by completing an ominous practice double, Hamilton’s Mercedes team laboured in the heat. Hamilton finished 12th in the opening running, and then ended the day three places further back, 1.2 seconds adrift of Verstappen. Fellow Briton George Russell was a few places better off in 12th in the other Mercedes. Carlos Sainz took second for Ferrari, 0.022 sec behind Verstappen, with Alex Albon an impressive third in his Williams. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished fourth, with Albon’s Williams team-mate Logan Sargeant fifth. Verstappen, a winner at seven of the opening nine rounds of a one-sided campaign, has already established a commanding 81-point lead in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world championships. The Dutch driver cruised to the chequered flag a week ago at Red Bull’s home race in Austria, and he will head into the remainder of the weekend as the driver to beat following an emphatic start at Silverstone. Hamilton has won seven of the last 10 races staged here, but the Mercedes man will have to upset the odds to add to his tally on Sunday. Hamilton has a new front wing as Mercedes hope to claw back the deficit to their rivals. But their star driver was on the radio complaining about the bouncing his machine was suffering from, while Russell was also on the intercom to bemoan his unruly Mercedes. “I have no grip,” reported Russell. “The car is sliding all over the place.” Hamilton is in the midst of another up-and-down campaign. He arrived at the last round in Spielberg following consecutive podium finishes, but Mercedes struggled at the Red Bull Ring. Hamilton crossed the line in seventh and was demoted to eighth following a second timed penalty, and on the evidence of practice, he may be braced for another underwhelming weekend. Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, both practice sessions passed off without incident. However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt qualifying on Saturday and Sunday’s 52-lap race where 150,000 spectators are expected to attend. Elsewhere, Lando Norris was only 14th for McLaren, while Charles Leclerc finished rooted to the bottom of the order. The Monegasque was ruled out of the second running with an electrical failure on his Ferrari. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton promises to keep his cool on team radio after Austrian flashpoint Lewis Hamilton defends casting ‘iconic’ Brad Pitt as F1 driver in new film Max Verstappen hints he may retire from Formula One unless calendar reduced

To stamp out any remaining protests, Reddit is sending “final warnings” to subreddits that decided

Does ketchup need to be refrigerated? Not really. But should it be? According to Heinz, yes.

This week’s new entertainment releases include Taylor Swift's rerecording of her “Speak Now,” a documentary on Wham

Wimbledon is on, the sun is shining and the Pimm's is chilling in the fridge -- summer has well and truly arrived. For those planning an escape to Europe and who want to add a sense of history, there are a fair few regal attractions beyond London that you might like to include in your itinerary.

A dominant Max Verstappen set the practice pace in the first running of the weekend at the British Grand Prix. The double world champion, a winner at seven of the opening nine rounds of a one-sided campaign, finished nearly half-a-second clear of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton managed only 12th in front of his home supporters, two places ahead of fellow Briton George Russell in the other Mercedes. Alex Albon was an impressive third for Williams with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso fourth. Charles Leclerc finished fifth for Ferrari. Verstappen has already established a commanding 81-point lead in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world championships. The Dutch driver cruised to the chequered flag a week ago at Red Bull’s home race in Austria, and he will head into the remainder of the weekend as the driver to beat following an emphatic start at a sun-cooked Silverstone. Verstappen pulled on the speediest soft tyres with a dozen minutes to go and crossed the line 0.448 seconds ahead of Perez in the other Red Bull. Hamilton has won seven of the last 10 races staged at Silverstone, but the seven-time world champion will have to upset the odds to add to his tally on Sunday. The 38-year-old finished a distant 1.1 sec adrift of Verstappen and was on the radio complaining about the bouncing in his upgraded Mercedes machine. Russell was also on the intercom to bemoan his unruly Mercedes, ending the one-hour running a tenth back from Hamilton. However, neither Hamilton nor Russell posted a lap on the fastest soft compound. Nyck de Vries is under pressure to keep his seat with AlphaTauri and the rookie Dutchman was the only driver to fall off the road in practice. De Vries spun into the gravel at Turn 7 but was able to keep his car going through the sand trap before returning to his garage. Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, the first running passed off without incident. However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt the three days of running, with 480,000 people anticipated to pass through the gates this weekend. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton promises to keep his cool on team radio after Austrian flashpoint Lewis Hamilton defends casting ‘iconic’ Brad Pitt as F1 driver in new film Max Verstappen hints he may retire from Formula One unless calendar reduced

Jackie Stewart has revealed he suffered a stroke five weeks ago in a health scare which saw him fall “unconscious for a long time.” The three-time F1 world champion, still a regular in and around the paddock, will be present at Silverstone this weekend despite the incident. The 84-year-old was in Jordan attending the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein when, the night before, he was taken to hospital after falling unconscious. "This was the night before the wedding, I got up in the night feeling strange,” he told the Daily Mail. "I just dropped. And then I can’t remember. I was unconscious for quite a long time. "I was taken to hospital in Jordan. My son Paul and his wife were there for the wedding, in a bedroom on a different floor. "To this day I don’t know how I got to Paul’s room, but I must have been somewhat alert to get hold of him.” Stewart was then treated in Jordan before flying home in a plane supplied by the Crown Prince. "They got me into an ambulance, but I have no recall of that either,” Stewart added. “His Majesty got the best doctors available for me. "I wanted to get home as fast as possible, and the Crown Prince of Bahrain very generously gave his aircraft to fly me back to Europe. "By then I was pretty much okay. I wasn’t walking very well though." Stewart now says he can walk “almost completely perfectly” and will be present at Silverstone for two days – he also attended a meeting at Downing Street on Tuesday alongside a number of F1 officials and team principals. The F1 legend has also backed championship leader Max Verstappen to continue his domination. “The combination of the Dutchman and Milton Keynes,” he added. “Max is a remarkably talented man, and he hasn’t gone astray. “He is a wonderful ambassador for our sport." Read More F1 British Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and FP1 lap times from Silverstone Jackie Stewart breaks through VIP barrier to help Sky’s journalist interview Roger Federer Jackie Stewart on a life with dyslexia and his unrelenting push for safety in Formula 1 F1 British Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times from Silverstone Lewis Hamilton promises to keep his cool on team radio after Austrian flashpoint Lewis Hamilton must be ‘cold-blooded’ in new Mercedes contract negotiations

Lewis Hamilton said he will tone down his radio complaints following team boss Toto Wolff’s public rebuke at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. During the race, Hamilton, sanctioned for exceeding track limits, asked why some of his rivals – namely Sergio Perez – had not been penalised, and also lambasted the speed of his under-performing Mercedes machine. Wolff rarely speaks to his drivers over the radio, but he was on the intercom twice to Hamilton. “Lewis, the car is bad, we know,” said Wolff on his second appearance over the airwaves. “Please drive it.” Addressing Wolff’s comments ahead of his home race at Silverstone on Sunday, Hamilton said: “We always learn from our experiences, and on my side I’ve reviewed my comments, where I was at mentally, and will make sure I adjust that for the future. “The best thing about my partnership with Toto is that we can be direct with each other. He is just an out-and-out racer. He was just trying to encourage me and that was his way of doing it.” Hamilton has endured another up-and-down campaign. He arrived at the last round in Spielberg following consecutive podium finishes but Mercedes struggled at the Red Bull Ring. Hamilton crossed the line in seventh and was demoted to eighth following a second timed penalty, this time after the race, for exceeding track limits. His £40million-a-season deal with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of the campaign and Hamilton and Wolff say the terms and finances of his next contract have been agreed, but an extension will not be announced at the seven-time world champion’s home race. Hamilton was asked if he could yet move elsewhere if Mercedes fail to show him he can be in a contender in their machinery. “That is not what I am thinking,” said Hamilton. “I still have 100 per cent faith in this team. “It has taken longer for all of us to get to where we want to be and it’s definitely not easy, but I believe that we will get there. We’ve just got to continue to work and chip away at it.” Hamilton’s Mercedes team were handed a reprimand after the British driver arrived late for Thursday’s official press conference. Mercedes blamed Hamilton’s tardy entrance on an “extremely busy schedule” and said “it is difficult for Hamilton to move through the paddock” because of the interest at his home race. A statement from the FIA read: “While the stewards understand this to be the case, it is also true that this is an activity required by the regulations, that late attendance is disruptive to the press conference, and that there is significant interest by the media in talking to the drivers whose access is limited. “Activities on Thursday are generally organised by the teams and the drivers follow the instructions of their team co-ordinators. “Therefore, the stewards determined that the most appropriate penalty was to the team rather than to the driver. As some leeway has been given previously the stewards consider a reprimand to the team to be appropriate, with the warning that further penalties may be considered in case of repetition.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton defends casting ‘iconic’ Brad Pitt as F1 driver in new film Max Verstappen hints he may retire from Formula One unless calendar reduced 5 memorable races staged at Silverstone

Lewis Capaldi's Hot Ones episode may start off fairly composed, but don't let that fool

Formula 1 heads back to one of its most famous sites as Silverstone hosts the 2023 British Grand Prix this weekend. Last time out in Austria, Max Verstappen continued his dominant form with a fifth straight win this season, extending his lead in the world championship to 81 points to team-mate Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton endured a mixed weekend in Spielberg with Mercedes, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished on the podium. Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris will be eyeing strong results this weekend at their home race. Free practice 1 starts at 12:30pm; FP2 is at 4pm. Follow British Grand Prix updates with The Independent: Read More British Grand Prix: 20 years since Irish ‘lunatic’ invaded the track at Silverstone Why is Brad Pitt filming at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix? Lewis Hamilton supports ‘peaceful’ protests at British Grand Prix this weekend